Blogging the San Diego Padres… established 1997

Long couple of days at work. Arms hurt like hell, so we’ll keep it short and sweet.

• Fourteen runs on 24 hits? Where did that come from, and where do we get some more? Best moment was watching Gary Matthews Jr.’s uncle (a camera operator for TBS) cheering when his nephew hit a homer in the ninth. Classic.
• The Return of Pete Rose (Baseball Prospectus). Interesting. If true, I’ll have to seriously reconsider my support of Major League Baseball. Nothing is written in stone, though.
• Report called ‘unfounded’ and ‘irresponsible’ (ESPN). On the other hand, Prospectus did get someone’s attention.
• Batter’s Box — Can’t remember if I posted this earlier, but a reader wrote in recommending it. A blog with an emphasis on the Blue Jays. Good read.
• The stresses of California: Gary "I Am Probably the Most Unqualified Person to Run for Governor" Coleman vs Larry "Smut Peddler Who Cares" Flynt. Hey, at least they’re honest.

That’s physically as much as I can type today…

As a native Southern Californian (I call myself that even though I was born in Boston; I’ve lived here since before I turned two, and both my parents spent many of their formative years in the greater Los Angeles area), I’ve come to accept a few things. I don’t necessarily like them, but for the sake of my sanity I’ve come to accept them.

• No matter how bad the weather seems on any given day, you absolutely cannot complain about it to anyone who doesn’t also live here. Your cousins in Buffalo don’t want to hear that you had to put a sweater on in the middle of January because the temperature dipped below 60 for a few hours.
• Folks who move here from other parts of the country to (a) call their cousins in Buffalo to tell them how cold it is out here, (b) become rich and famous, (c) stalk the rich and famous, (d) stalk and marry the rich and famous, or (e) all of the above, invariably will spend an inordinate amount of time and energy complaining about how thus-and-such was so much better back home. I have yet to meet a New Yorker who had anything good to say about the pizza or the bagels out here. News flash: Last I checked, New York still has those things, if you catch my drift.
• Along those lines, if the Cubs, Braves, Red Sox, or Yankees ever come to town, there’s a real good chance that their fans will outnumber those of the home town. Often by a lot. Last year, I might as well have been at Fenway for the game against Pedro Martinez. And last week the Q was Wrigley West. But I can’t complain too much; those teams have a rich tradition. The one that gets me is the Diamondback fans. Look, y’all have a baseball team. And from what I hear, the BOB is a really nice stadium. Go watch them there. Please.

Okay, enough of the Andy Rooney. Let’s talk baseball.

It was good to see Brian Lawrence have another solid outing on Sunday. He’s slowly coming back around, moving his pitches around the plate, taking a little off here, adding a little there. Sean Burroughs also had a couple of quality at-bats. After a brief dry spell, he’s starting to swing the lumber well again.

In its latest issue, BA names the players in minor league baseball with the best tools. Here are the Padre representatives:

• PCL (AAA): Fastest Baserunner, Bernie Castro
• Southern League (AA): Best Defensive C, Humberto Quintero
• Cal League (Hi-A): Best Batting Prospect, Josh Barfield
• Midwest League (Lo-A): Best Reliever, Dale Thayer

Castro has come on strong after a horrendous start. I still don’t envision him as a starter at the big-league level but I am beginning to believe that he could make it as a role player. Quintero hits for a good batting average and some doubles, but he has no home run power and he doesn’t draw walks. A lot of guys with his profile have had decent careers. Thayer I know almost nothing about beyond the fact that his once otherworldy numbers now only look silly. Barfield is the one impact player among that group. His progress this year has been impressive, to say the least. We’ll be talking about him a lot more in the coming weeks and months.

Brain Dump

In which the author presents, in no logical order, a bunch of ideas that have been piling up on the metaphorical desk.

• Was that trade between the Yankees and the Mariners last week bizarre or what? Not often do you see two teams in the playoff hunt swap players of substantial ability after the non-waiver trade deadline. But that’s just what happened, and now Jeff Nelson is back in New York, while Armando Benitez moves on the Pacific Northwest. I’m not sure who got the better of the trade, but I just find the fact that it even happened fascinating.
• The Cub Reporter isn’t impressed with the Padres up-the-middle guys. An interesting criticism. Let’s see how they stack up against the Cubs this year:

                AB  BA OBP SLG
  Bennett      198 187 250 242
  Miller       268 231 318 358
  
  Loretta      422 325 387 453
  Grudzielanek 403 305 361 404
  
  Vazquez      310 261 347 345
  Gonzalez     415 224 282 393
  
  Kotsay       332 262 341 355
  Patterson    329 298 329 511

  How about career numbers?

                 AB  BA OBP SLG
  Bennett       829 242 304 326
  Miller       1797 263 331 423
  
  Loretta      3082 297 362 398
  Grudzielanek 4747 284 328 386
  
  Vazquez       766 268 341 350
  Gonzalez     4186 243 303 392
  
  Kotsay       2969 282 337 416
  Patterson    1094 260 293 419

  I’ll give him Miller over Bennett, because at least Miller has a chance to do something with the bat. I’ll take the Pads’ middle infield over the Cubs’ any day of the week, but I like OBP. Kotsay versus Patterson is tough, because the former has been playing hurt most of the year and the latter, who looked to be on the verge of a breakout despite his continued refusal to take a walk, is hurt now and won’t be back this season. I won’t go so far as to say the Pads’ guys are great, but I don’t think they’re "really, really weak up the middle" (nor do I think I’d call another team weak up the middle if I were a Cub fan).

• Speaking of Bennett, I’m thinking we should start an online petition to make sure that he always gets the red light on a 2-0 pitch with runners on base in a close game. I love what Bennett has done for the pitching staff, I really do. It’s great that he thinks like a pitcher. I just wish he wouldn’t hit like one (with apologies to Brian Lawrence and Adam Eaton). Who’s with me? [Editor's note: Bennett knocked in a run on a 2-0 pitch from Danny Graves Sunday afternoon to make the score 2-0 in the sixth; just because it worked still doesn't make it a good idea.]
• Phil Nevin’s numbers aren’t great, especially after that hot start, but he is swinging the bat very well and hitting the ball with authority. He also made some spectacular plays at first base the other night, spelling Ryan Klesko. In right field, let’s just say he doesn’t remind anyone of Xavier Nady. Nobody will want to hear this, but I’m wondering if Nevin at first and Klesko in the outfield might not be a better arrangement.
• Jake Peavy‘s game Friday night against the Reds was as good a start as I’ve seen out of a Padre pitcher in a long time. He didn’t get the win, but that was complete domination. Peavy had a terrible July (21.1 IP, 28 H, 7 HR, 14 BB, 16 SO, 8.86 ERA). Peavy now concedes that maybe trying to pitch through injury just before the All-Star break wasn’t the best idea. His numbers for the year, less the July debacle:

     IP   H HR BB SO  ERA
  123.2 104 15 48 93 3.35

• Loretta rewarded Mark Loretta signed a 2-year contract, with an incentive-based option for 2006. It’s possible that Barfield may be at second base by the end of this deal, but Loretta is a quality hitter who can play multiple positions. He’ll have value for the Padres one way or another. And he’s great insurance just in case Barfield isn’t ready by then or ends up not having the glove to stay on the infield at the big-league level. Good signing.
• Gary Matthews Jr. has a great arm. I still can’t believe he nailed Juan Castro at the plate in Friday night’s contest.
• Saw the Reds’ Ryan Wagner in the same game. Man, that guy’s pitches move.
• Justin Germano is having surprising (to me) success at Double-A: 32.1 IP, 29 H, 6 BB, 26 SO, 3.34 ERA. Based solely on the fact that he was getting hit pretty good at Elsinore and not striking many guys out, I thought Germano’s promotion was premature, but so far he’s proving me wrong. Here’s hoping he’s keeps doing it.
• One of my preseason faves, Javier Martinez, is healthy again and getting it done at Elsinore: 78.2, 68, 21, 65, 2.97. Martinez remains one of my sleeper prospects in this organization.

General Weirdness on the Web

• calculator-in-the-URL You’ll think this is really cool or really stupid; it’s such a fine line.
• Weblog Diffusion Index An MIT research project "tracking the diffusion of information through the weblog community."

Mailbag

Our first letter comes from Chet Laird, who writes:

Based on the fact that I am "an idiot in my own home" as well, for what it’s worth, here is a thought related to developing stage presence… on off days, try having your wife throw shoes at you… I am sure she will enjoy it and it will help you "face the fear."

Um, thanks for the tip. Remind me never to introduce you to my wife.

Next up, Jonny German (love the name!) sends this in:

Enjoy your site. I’m wondering if you have a prediction for how well Oliver Perez will perform next year… Will he overcome the inconsistency to become the top tier starter he has the talent to be?

I’ve enjoyed many of your musical recommendations, and I have one for you: Coke Machine Glow, by Gordon Downie. Tracks you’ll like right away: Chancellor, Canada Geese, Yer Possessed.

Perez had another very nice outing Saturday night. He pitched five strong innings before surrendering three runs in the sixth. Finished with 11 strikeouts, which is sexy, but as Jonny mentions, he is still inconsistent. Will it click for him tomorrow, next month, next year, three years from now? I really have no idea. My gut tells me it’s going to take Ollie some time to figure it out. His stint at Triple-A helped; he looks to be more mechanically sound now than at the beginning of the season. And I think Darren Balsley has been a positive influence. As for a prediction? I won’t throw out any numbers, but I will say that I expect Perez to continue to tantalize and frustrate with his combination of talent and inconsistency. My gut tells me that his rapid ascension last year is going to come at the expense of big-league growing pains. And I don’t think we’ve seen the last of those.

And thanks for the Gordon Downie tip. I’d not heard of him, but I see here that he is best known for his work with the Tragically Hip. I’ll definitely keep my eyes open for Downie’s CD. Thanks again for the heads-up. I’m always looking for new stuff…

Good gigs this weekend. Even had people dancing to "Seven Nation Army" Saturday night, which was kinda weird but very cool. One thing I’m working on is stage presence. Being an idiot in my own home is easy, but doing it in front of a bunch of drunk people (while I’m sober) is another story.

It’s worth the effort though. There’s nothing worse than watching a band just stand around and play their music. Stare at their feet, or their hands. And it drives me nuts when there’s a lot of dead time between songs. If you’re working the crowd, that’s one thing. But it’s hard to get enthusiastic about guys trying to figure out which key they’re playing a song in or whether they’re in tune.

So on Saturday, while we were debating such matters, I decided to "entertain" the crowd with a stirring rendition of "I’m All Out of Love." I only played about 15 seconds worth, but that was more than enough time for me to receive a (much-deserved) chorus of boos (though mercifully, not booze). One woman even threatened to throw her shoe at me (that could really hurt; who throws a shoe?).

Anyway, I figure a few boos are better than a bunch of blank stares. Where’s the love for Air Supply though? I guess they’re all out of it.

Non-Baseball Places to Visit

In which I show that I sometimes think about other things. Often, it should be noted, as they relate to baseball.

• Languagehat — Language, philosophy, literature. If you have any interest in these, this site is worth a visit.
• Online Etymology Dictionary — The Baseball Reference of etymology. Need to know the origin of a word? Don’t have a copy of the OED handy? No problem.

Shut Up and Talk about Baseball Already

Okay, can do. The Pads took one of three in San Francisco this weekend. Doesn’t sound impressive, but they’ve got one more win against the Giants after the All-Star break than anyone else does.

Significantly, Phil Nevin has made an immediate impact, even launching his first homer of the season in Saturday night’s contest. His blast provided Kevin Jarvis all the support he needed in a 2-0 victory. Jarvis is enhancing his trade value with each start, and it’s now becoming conceivable that someone would be willing to take on his salary.

The rumors are flying all over the place right now, and it’s hard to separate fact from fiction, but names being mentioned as possibly coming to San Diego are Brian Giles and Jason Kendall, J.D. Drew, Milton Bradley, and Ramon Castro. Sure wouldn’t mind seeing Giles and Kendall in Padre unis. Right now the Rondell White to Florida for Castro and Blaine Neal rumors are pretty hot. Tomorrow the names may be different. Then again, nothing may come of any of this. We shall see.

And in other news, Julien Headley has a relatively new baseball blog going. Interesting stuff here. Probably the best place to start is by reading up on his discussion of various performance metrics that he uses in evaluating player production. Julien claims that they are both diagnotstic and predictive tools. Mainly for lack of time, I haven’t dug into these much, but stuff like this always gets my attention. Word of caution: If you’re surfing from work and your company has some kind of filtering software in place, you may not get through; Julien’s prose doesn’t always get a PG rating. But he’s got some intriguing ideas.

What a week. That’s all I have to say on that topic.

10 Songs I’d Like to Play Live (Whether I Can or Not)

• Bob Marley: Redemption Song
• Incubus: Mexico
• Dave Brubeck Quintet: Take Five
• Police: I Can’t Stand Losing
• Rush: Earthshine
• Sarah Vaughan: Key Largo (I would gladly learn the bass for this one)
• Cheap Trick: I Want You to Want Me
• Was (Not Was): Knocked Down, Made Small
• They Might Be Giants: Ana Ng
• Jane’s Addiction: Just Because

Ask me tomorrow, it’ll probably be 10 different songs.

Who Went Where?

Never mind the Pirates’ Aramis Ramirez giveaway (did he really have less trade value than Mark Bellhorn?), what’s going on in Padre land? Well, Jesse Orosco agreed to be traded to the Yankees for a PTBNL or cash. I love this move for everyone involved. The Padres no longer have to waste a spot on a 46-year-old situational lefty; Orosco, who by all accounts has been a great guy in the clubhouse, gets another shot at a ring; and the Yankees don’t get Scott Sauerbeck but instead have to settle for Old Man River.

With Orosco gone, the prematurely healthy Phil Nevin returned to the lineup Wednesday afternoon and collected his first hit of the season. Nevin started in right field, and following the game, Xavier Nady was optioned to Portland to make room for the newly acquired Joe Roa, who was picked up off waivers from Colorado. Got it?

Meantime, according to various sources, the Pads are looking to land a top-tier outfielder. Among those rumored coming to SoCal are Pittsburgh’s Brian Giles, Cleveland’s Milton Bradley, and St. Louis’ J.D. Drew. The Cardinals, thanks in part to Mark Kotsay’s liner off the right hand of Matt Morris, are desperate for starting pitching. Kevin Towers would love to unload Kevin Jarvis and his contract. Jarvis has actually pitched well enough since returning from the DL to have trade value, so who knows.

Oh, and Charles Nagy (remember him?) was named special assistant to the GM in Cleveland. Actually, with the Indians, that may entail his working a few innings in relief.

Mailbag

Haven’t done one of these in a while. Today’s message comes from Howard Lynch, who has some thoughts on the recently concluded and much maligned All-Star game:

I STRONGLY disagree with this statement: "I understand that a player from the fifth worst team in all of baseball ultimately decided home-field advantage for the World Series." When Hank Blalock hit that HR, he was representing the American League … that league won / earned home-field advantage. I think deciding World Series home-field advantage this way is a good idea … you (and MANY others) seems stuck on insisting it’s not a good idea because of its (perceived?) source = Bud Selig. Hey, I’m not a Bud Selig fan … how can ANYONE be … his handling of labor relations, his handling of the All-Star game last year (letting it be tied, not awarding an MVP, …), his overall whiny attitude … his image is bad for baseball … BUT … if it’s a good idea, then it’s a good idea. Anything that keeps Barry Bonds in the game longer is GOOD. Maybe next year he’ll take 4 ABs

First off, as always, thanks for writing. It gets lonely here sometimes, and nobody wants me going Jack Torrance on the world.

To the topic at hand. First let me make it clear that I don’t think that having the All-Star game determine home field advantage for the World Series is a bad idea because Bud Selig came up with it and by definition he cannot have any good ideas. Comforting as it sometimes may be to think this way, and as much as I hate defending the guy, it ain’t true.

When Selig does something good for the game, he deserves credit for it. For example, Selig’s handling of the Pete Rose situation has been surprisingly good to this point. He’s shown a lot more spine than I thought possible. It may not last, but it’s nice that he’s held the line this long.

Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, it’s time to let ‘er rip. The main problems I have with the New and Meaningful All-Star Game are as follows:

1. A game that isn’t important enough to merit a change in the regular-season standings shouldn’t be deemed important enough to be a potentially determining factor in the championship series.
2. A player representing a team that won’t make the playoffs shouldn’t have such a strong impact on a factor as important as home field advantage when it matters most.
3. A team that compiles a superior record in the regular season shouldn’t be punished due to the outcome of an exhibition game.

What I’m trying to say, Howard, is that we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one. I understand why Selig did it. He is pretty sure there is something very wrong with Major League Baseball, but he has no idea what that something might be. So he decides to try to fix what probably was his biggest faux pas of 2002 by assigning the game some artificial meaning. Now, when folks complain because the institution he’s been entrusted with still ain’t right, he can at least say, like the guy who attempts to fix his backed-up toilet with increasing doses of air freshener, that he’s trying to do something about it.

The idea isn’t bad because it’s Bud Selig’s. But this particular idea of Selig’s is really bad. And I hope it doesn’t last.

Thanks again for writing. It’d be pretty boring if we all thought the same way.

Obligatory Shameless Plug

The band is playing tonight and tomorrow night at Janie’s in Chula Vista. We always have a blast down there. Stop by if you’re in the area. I’ll be stage right, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and Storm baseball cap.

Otherwise, we’ll catch you some other time. Keep the faith!

Years ago I picked up a book by Mick Goodrick called "The Advancing Guitarist." I tried to read a bit of it back then and couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Then a few weeks ago we decided to rearrange our living room and box up and/or give away a bunch of books. One that I stumbled upon was Goodrick’s, and I figured I’d better have a look at it before making a decision.

I’m glad I did. This isn’t one of those instructional books that tells you exactly what to do, but rather gives you some suggestions of things to try. That concept was way over my head the first time I attacked Goodrick’s book. This time around, it’s still over my head, but not quite as far over it. So now I’m learning how to play, one string at a time, up and down the neck of the guitar.

If you’ve ever played guitar, you know that’s pretty different from the standard methods (at least in pop and rock), which teach positions and how to work within a three- or four-fret pattern across all six strings. Running up and down a single string opens up a bunch of different (to me) phrasing possibilities. Also, I don’t have the quickest hands in the world and my picking technique could use improvement, so anything that keeps me from being totally dependent on moving from one string to the next is a good thing.

Pretty cool, huh? Kinda like the Padres beating Randy Johnson in his return from the DL and earning a split with the D-backs.

What wasn’t cool yesterday was the weather. Man, was it hot! Anyway, a few quick observations:

• Kevin Jarvis looked fantastic. A few balls were hit hard, but for the most part he did a good job of keeping the Diamondback hitters off-balance.
• Rod Beck is a stud. Nerves of steel and a filthy splitter. His game at this point in his career is so much like Trevor Hoffman’s, it’s scary. Don’t think he has the same workout regimen though.
• As I’ve mentioned before, Gary Matthews Jr. has great instincts on the basepaths. Twice he advanced on plays that most guys don’t even attempt to make. He’s been having a heckuva time hitting off-speed stuff lately, but he sure is fun to watch run around the bases. The break for home he got on Shea Hillenboot’s wild throw to first in the fourth was beautiful, as he handily beat the throw from Mark Grace on a ball that didn’t bounce that far away from the veteran first baseman. This isn’t exactly high praise, but there really isn’t anything Sir Eugene Kingsale could do that Matthews can’t do just as well.

In Other News

RHP Justin Germano, who wasn’t exactly dominating the Cal League, was promoted to Double-A. RHP Gabe Ribas moved up to Elsinore from the Midwest League to take Germano’s spot. Ribas’ promotion makes a lot more sense given his success this year. One has to wonder how much longer Josh Barfield and Cory Stewart will remain at their current levels.

More later…

So my drummer and I are in El Cajon Saturday night (big news in itself, since I very seldom venture east of I-15–or west of I-5 for that matter; my world is pretty small, but it’s a happy place so I’m okay with that), scoping out a place we’re going to play next month. The stage is right up against part of the bar that faces the street. There’s barely enough room for these four guys and their equipment.

But the place is pretty mellow. They serve Guinness (in a bottle), which is good for El Cajon. Couple of pool tables. Big, comfortable patio out back for folks who want to smoke but not hang out on the street. Karaoke during the week, live bands on the weekends.

Anyway, it was cool to see another band play. I’m terrible at supporting the local music scene, mainly because I’m incredibly lazy and I have a hard time separating myself from the sofa. But these guys were good. And they played Little Feat. Nobody plays Little Feat. Or Steve Earle. When’s the last time you heard Steve Earle in a bar? Or maybe I just go to the wrong bars. Or when I go to bars, it’s because my band is playing and we don’t play Little Feat or Steve Earle…

All-Star Game

Picking the team is still more fun than watching the game. So I didn’t. I understand that a player from the fifth worst team in all of baseball ultimately decided home-field advantage for the World Series. So if Kansas City (.554 WinPct) meets Atlanta (.656) in the World Series, a seventh game would be played at Kauffman Stadium because of Hank Blalock and an old used car salesman with a bad ‘do. I sure hope it doesn’t come down to that. Because then the All-Star game will have meant something this time. But it won’t be what Bud Selig wanted it to mean.

Other Stuff

• 2003 Mid-Year N.L. West DIPS Report (Baseball Crank). The Crank uses Voros McCracken’s Defense Independent Pitching Stats formula to look at the NL West pitching staffs.
• Bevos start swinging toward a pennant race (Portland Tribune). A look at Rob Deer and proteges Tagg Bozied, Khalil Greene, and others.

That’s all for now. More as it happens…

One of my new habits is hanging out at a cafe in the mall on Sundays while my wife hits the gym. She keeps herself in shape, I keep myself buzzed on double lattes. It’s a good arrangement. It’s also the only chance I get to sit and do what, in my younger days, I referred to as "serious writing."

Now, with mortgages and car payments, and all that other fun stuff that just sort of shows up one day and never leaves, "serious writing" generally involves a checkbook. So for an hour a week, it’s a genuine pleasure to indulge in the fantasy that I have followed my muse and become an actual writer.

I sit in a shady spot out in the courtyard, facing a bookstore. I’m heavily caffeinated and alternately reading, scribbling notes, or just staring into space. That last one freaks people out sometimes, which is cool because it gives me something to write about. It’s like we have this symbiotic relationship going on. Or is it dysfunctional? I always get the two confused. Anyway, nobody gets hurt so I think it’s okay.

The point is (if you want to call it that), writing is one of those things I just have to do. Like skipping the bottom step when descending a flight of stairs. Or screaming while driving through tunnels (although I don’t really do that anymore; some things are more easily justifiable at 20 than at 34). Or singing in a rock band (hey, a guy has to scream somewhere).

It’s what I do. Most likely nothing will ever come of it other than many trees will have sacrificed themselves for my words (we already kill ‘em for toilet paper), and I’ll have sacrificed some of my time for reasons I can’t quite define. The only explanation I can find is the love that I’ve found ever since you’ve been around that it’s what I do. Sounds lame, I know, but that’s the best I can come up with right now.

Baseball, Baseball, Baseball

In which the author tries to recapture his audience…

Adam Eaton gets tossed for throwing a 66-MPH curveball at Albert Pujols in the first inning? What’s up with that? Yeah, Pujols stared at his game-winning homer Saturday night way too long, and he probably had it coming. But a slow breaking pitch? What message can that possibly send? "Hey, we’re really frosted at you showing us up last night, but maybe not that frosted; apologies in advance for this next pitch–with luck you won’t even feel it." How does the umpire toss a guy for a pitch like that? Ridiculous.

Oh well, Eaton probably will benefit from the extra rest. But I still don’t understand what the umpire was thinking there.

Speaking of Pujols, he lost the Home Run Derby to Garret Anderson. Perhaps he was still regaining his strength after that vigorous trot around the bases Saturday night?

* * *

Other items of note:

• Bozied gets bat ready for the bigs (Portland Tribune). Update on one of the Pads’ top slugging prospects.
• Beavers’ Greene takes in star-studded event (Oregonian). Khalil Greene’s experience at the Futures Game.
• White ‘thankful’ for All-Star pick (Padres.com). Even though he doesn’t really belong there, it’s hard not to be happy for Rondell White.
• Phil Nevin to Join Beavers Thursday (PGEPark.com). Nevin continues his rehab at Triple-A.
• Herges gives Giants more bullpen depth (Baseball America). Jim Callis takes a very brief look at newly acquired Clay Hensley, who will begin his Padre career at Elsinore.
• Baseball Primer All-Stars (Baseball Primer, duh). Craig Burley compiles the All-Star teams as voted on by the Primer Staff. I still think Sean Burroughs is the best choice to represent the Padres, but all in all, we did a pretty solid job.
• Burnitz obtained from Mets for 3 minor leaguers (ESPN). But even better than that, Rickey Henderson is back in the big leagues!
• Prank Message Via Google Mocks WMD Search (Yahoo). Nothing whatsoever to do with baseball, but pretty funny.

* * *

Finally, if you know anyone who plays bass guitar, lives in the San Diego area, has professional equipment, is looking to join a rock covers band with gigs, and isn’t a complete flake, would you do me a favor and send him/her my way? Vocals a plus but not mandatory. Much appreciated…

So, where the heck have I been anyway? Working a lot. Doing a bunch of band stuff (site redesign, T-shirts, several new songs). Reading the intriguing and often incomprehensible Friedrich Nietzsche. Hangin’ at home with the family.

During my travels, I’ve stumbled onto some excellent non-sports-related sites that I thought I’d share. (Feel free to skip this part if you just want the baseball stuff. I don’t mind.)

• Truth Laid Bear — I keep trying to think of a good way to describe this but find that words fail. Among other things, this is a blog about blogs. But there’s more to it than that. Check it out; you’ll know pretty quickly whether or not you like it.
• Vivisimo Document Clustering — This is a search engine. But it works a little differently from most other search engines in that it groups by category results within a particular query. I’m afraid I’m not explaining this well; it’s really quite cool. For a better explanation, visit their technical FAQ.
• Diary of Samuel Pepys — This is the single most fascinating site I’ve discovered on the Web in a very long time. Probably since I first found Slashdot many moons ago. Pepys, if you don’t know, was a 17th century diarist who lived in London. Phil Gyford is publishing these diaries as a weblog, with others chiming in to add historical context, clarify relationships between characters, etc. Gyford essentially has brought works written nearly 400 years ago back to life and created a vital document from them. The annotations and links to other sites are possibly as fascinating as the blog itself, which is one reason I’ll probably never get through the whole thing. I’m constantly being diverted to something else that demands my attention. Wonderful use of the Web.
• MOTCO UK Directory for Collectors of Antique Prints and Maps — This is one such diversion I found from visiting the above site. View maps of London (indexed by location or street name within the city) as it existed in 1746. The images take some time to load if you’re on dial-up like I am. But if you have any interest in maps (as do I), this is a great place to lose yourself for a while.
• Technorati — Another neat tool. This one allows you to search on a ridiculous number of blogs (360,000 at last count), find who’s linking to your blog, and a bunch of other cool stuff. If you write or read blogs (by definition, that includes all of you reading this), you ought to take a look.
• British Civil Wars, Commonwealth and Protectorate 1638-1660 — I’m not really an Anglophile (although I do have a good friend who is; hi, Dan), but this is another nugget I discovered while rummaging through Pepys’ diary. Fascinating stuff.

And I also found a really cool baseball site (thanks to a poster at Fanstop whose identity escapes me a the moment; sorry ’bout that). Career minor-league stats and what-not.

• Baseball Cube

And I suppose that link is excuse enough to get back into what we do around here: talk baseball…

All-Star Game

Despite Bud Selig’s best/worst efforts, I still don’t give a rat’s arse about the game. But I do care that he seems to care about it, so I’ll make a few quick points.

If the objective now is to win the game, how exactly are Rondell White and Mike Williams better than Brian Giles and, say, Matt Herges? [Late note: Herges has just been traded to the Giants for RHP Jay Witasick, Alex Fernandez, Humberto Quintero, Scott Dunn.

           AB  H 2B 3B HR BB SO  BA OBP SLG
Blalock   219 67 13  1  9 18 41 306 359 498
Burroughs 218 75 15  3  4 19 30 344 402 495